Double glazed window assembly

ABSTRACT

The sealed double glazed window assembly consists of a pair of glass sheets, a spacing unit disposed between the inner marginal edges of the glass sheets and extending completely around the periphery thereof, a protection border element formed of vinyl plastics including a pair of leg portions completely surrounding the outer marginal edges of the glass sheets and extending completely around the periphery thereof. The protection border further includes an integral flange defining with one of the leg portions a channel in which is mounted a series of metallic moulding strips. The combination of the metallic strips and the vinyl plastics border makes it possible to obtain a single assembly which can be quickly installed.

[451 Sept. 10, 1974 United States Patent [191 Smits ,l84,061 12/1964 Germany.............................. 52/616 DOUBLE GLAZED WINDOW ASSEMBLY [75] Inventor: Denis L. Smits, St. I-Iilaire, Quebec,

Canada [73] Assignee: Superseal Corporation, St.

Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada Jan.2, 1973 [22] Filed:

[21] Appl. No.: 320,285

ABSTRACT Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 19.1972 Canada..........................

The sealed double glazed window assembly consists of a pair of glass sheets, a spacing unit disposed between the inner marginal edges of the glass sheets and ex- [52] US. 52/172, 52/399, 52/616 [51] Int.

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FIG3

DOUBLE GLAZED WINDOW ASSElVmLY This invention relates generally to a sealed double glazed window assembly.

Prior to the present invention, the installation of a sealed window and that of its associated sash unit in the opening of a wall or other like building structures con sisted in two separate operations.

It is an object of this invention to provide a sealed double glazed window assembly where both installations in a building structure consist of a single assembly.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sealed double glazed window assembly consisting of a protection border made of vinyl plastics which combines with the glass sheets to provide an impervious monolithic assembly.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a sealed double glazed window assembly which may be readily mounted in position in the walls of a building structure with a minimum amount of labour and which is adequatelyweather-proofed and secured against the elements.

The present invention therefore relates to a sealed double glazed window assembly which comprises, in its broadest aspect: a pair of glass sheets arranged in spaced parallel relationship so as to form an air space therebetween; a spacing unit disposed between the inner marginal edges of the glass sheets and extending completely around the periphery thereof to maintain the sheets in spaced relationship; a protection border, formed of vinyl plastics including a base portion and a pair of leg portions projecting from one side of the base portion, the leg portions surrounding the outer marginal edges of the glass sheets and extending completely around the periphery thereof to completely enclose the outer marginal edges, the base portion including an integral longitudinal flange defining with one of the leg portions a longitudinal channel; and a series of metallic moulding strips secured in said channel.

With a sealed double glazed window assembly made in accordance with the present invention, it is now possible to prefabricate the units at the factory and to mount them directly in the building structure at the construction site. Once installed, the assembly provides improvements not yet obtained with other installations, especially during the cold seasons when the temperature differences on both faces of the sealed unit are appreciable. The vinyl plastics isolates the glass from the concrete structure thereby preventing it from causing the glass to crack, especially if the glass is sunheated. In one preferred form of the invention, the metallic moulding strips contact the inside glass sheet thereby providing heat conduction from the heated room to the glass.

Another particularly useful advantage of having a protection border made of vinyl plastics is that the sealed unit is no longer restricted to the standard square shape of present panels and may now take many various configurations (round, oval, etc.) thereby allowing additional aesthetics to a building structure. Vinyl plastics being an easily deformable material, the protection border of a sealed unit may now easily marry non-rectilinear contours of glass sheet edges.

Other objects, purposes and characteristic features of the present invention will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawings, and in part pointed out as the description of the invention progresses.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cut double glazed window assembly made in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the assembly shown mounted in a wall opening; and

FIG. 3 is a top cross-sectional view of the assembly shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a double glazed window assembly 10 which is formed by a pair of glass sheets 12 and 14 arranged in spaced parallel relationship and defining an air space therebetween. A spacing unit 16 is disposed between the inner marginal edges of the glass sheets and extends completely around the periphery thereof to maintain the sheets in spaced relationship. The construction of the spacing unit 16 is considered to be well known in the art and it may be said generally that it usually contains a desiccant which, by means of a series of openings disposed on the air-space side of the spacing unit, is in communication with the air space between the glass sheets.

The edges of glass sheets 12 and 14 and the spacing unit 16 are received within a protection border element 18, this element being formed of vinyl plastics material. One vinyl plastics which has been found to be highly suitable is one known under the trade mark Geon Plastic 8700A. The shape of border element 18 is of prime importance to the invention. As shown, the element is composed of a base portion 20 and of a pair of leg portions 22 and 24 defining with the base portion a channel completely surrounding the outer marginal edges of the glass sheets and extending around the periphery thereof.

The leg portions 22 and 24 are, respectively, provided with inwardly projecting lips 26 and 28 forming underpockets which are adapted to receive an adhesive sealant. It is also expected from the man skilled in the art to provide a sealant capable of causing the bonding of glass to vinyl plastics; as an example, a polysulphidebased product may be used as the adhesive sealant. As a variant of the present invention, the base portion 20 may be hollow instead of having the thickness shown in the drawings.

One outer side of base portion 20 includes an integral extension or flange 30 extending away from the sealed unit and defining with one leg portion 22 an L-shaped longitudinal channel in which is received a series of metallic moulding strips 32. Each strip 32 is metallic, such as extruded aluminum, and includes an inner flange 34.

Leg portion 22 and flange 30 are respectively provided attheir extremity with lips 36 and 38 which, together with lip 40 of the moulding strip 32 and lip 42 of flange 34, provides connection between the moulding strips and the vinyl plastics border.

Preferably, each extremity 43 of the strips 32 are in contact with the outer marginal edges of the inside glass sheet 12 so that heat generated inside the room and received on the metallic strips is conducted directly to the glass sheet 12.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the double sealed window assembly 10 is shown mounted in the side wall opening of a building structure. Numeral 44 designates the outside sill of the window opening whereas numeral 45 denotes the lower inside portion of such opening. Numeral 46 indicates the masonry header or lintel of the window opening while numeral 47 designates the upper inside portion of the window opening. A window assembly made in accordance with the present invention can be installed quickly in such wall opening. First, the sealed unit is installed in the window opening. An insulating joint 48 is applied between the concrete lip and the vinyl plastics border; a pressure equalization tube 50 may also be installed. Then, rigid neoprene shims are installed to evenly space the sealed unit between both sides of the wall opening. The sealed unit is then anchored to the building structure by means of screws 52 which extend through flange 30 of base 20. In order to more evenly distribute the load of these anchoring screws, an L-shaped elongated reinforcing plate member 54 may be used and is retained between lips 40 and 42 of the moulding strip. Then, ajoint backing 56 is inserted at the perimeter to insulate and cushion the interior vapour barrier sealant. Finally, the metallic strips are hooked on the base portion of the border element by extending extremity 43 over leg portion 22 and, due to the resiliency of the vinyl plastics, snapped in position by pressure by having lips 42 inter-engaging with lips 38.

With an installed assembly made in accordance with the present invention, the combination of vinyl plastics with metallic mounting strips provided results which up until now were not known. The vinyl plastics material isolates the glass from the concrete (when cold, concrete causes the glass to crack especially if the glass sheets are sun-heated). Furthermore, the metallic moulding strips conduct heat from the heated room to the sealed unit.

Although the invention has been described above in relation to one specific form, it will be evident to the man skilled in the art that it may be refined and moditied in various ways. It is therefore wished to have it understood that the present invention is not limited in interpretation except by the terms of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sealed double glazed window assembly comprising: a pair of glass sheets arranged in spaced parallel relationship to form an air space therebetween; a spacing unit disposed between the inner marginal edges of the glass sheets and extending completely around the periphery thereof to maintain the sheets in spaced relationship; a unitary border element formed of vinyl plastics and including a base portion and a pair of leg portions projecting from one side of said base portion, said leg portions having pockets for receiving adhesive sealant so that the leg portions together with the base of the border element hermetically and permanently fix said border element to said glass sheets surrounding the outer marginal edges of the glass sheets and extending completely around the periphery thereof; said base portion including an integral longitudinal flange defining with one of said leg portions a longitudinal channel; and a series of metallic moulding strips secured in said channel, whereby said assembly may be installed as a unit directly in the wall opening of a building structure; said vinyl plastics border element serving as a temperature barrier between the outside and inside surfaces of said glass sheets.

2. A window assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said integral flange of said base portion and the associated leg portion thereof include inward lips to engagedly receive corresponding lips on one extremity of each said metallic strip and on one flange provided on said strip; said integral flange portion being resilient to allow engagement by pressure of said strip in said longitudinal channel.

3. A window assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said extremity of said strip extends over said leg portion and is in contact with said associated glass sheet to provide heat conduction from the inside of the room to said iast-mentioned glass sheet.

4. A window assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said longitudinal channel is L-shaped in cross-section; a correspondingly-shaped plate member received in said channel to distribute loads exerted in said channel by anchoring means for securing the assembly in the wall opening. 

1. A sealed double glazed window assembly comprising: a pair of glass sheets arranged in spaced parallel relationship to form an air space therebetween; a spacing unit disposed between the inner marginal edges of the glass sheets and extending completely around the periphery thereof to maintain the sheets in spaced relationship; a unitary border element formed of vinyl plastics and including a base portion and a pair of leg portions projecting from one side of said base portion, said leg portions having pockets for receiving adhesive sealant so that the leg portions together with the base of the border element hermetically and permanently fix said border element to said glass sheets surrounding the outer marginal edges of the glass sheets and extending completely around the periphery thereof; said base portion including an integral longitudinal flange defining with one of said leg portions a longitudinal channel; and a series of metallic moulding strips secured in said channel, whereby said assembly may be installed as a unit directly in the wall opening of a building structure; said vinyl plastics border element serving as a temperature barrier between the outside and inside surfaces of said glass sheets.
 2. A window assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said integral flange of said base portion and the associated leg portion thereof include inward lips to engagedly receive corresponding lips on one extremity of each said metallic strip and on one flange provided on said strip; said integral flange portion being resilient to allow engagement by pressure of said strip in said Longitudinal channel.
 3. A window assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said extremity of said strip extends over said leg portion and is in contact with said associated glass sheet to provide heat conduction from the inside of the room to said last-mentioned glass sheet.
 4. A window assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said longitudinal channel is L-shaped in cross-section; a correspondingly-shaped plate member received in said channel to distribute loads exerted in said channel by anchoring means for securing the assembly in the wall opening. 